


Hunter and Hunted

by 3rdStarAlien, ConsumingRomance (CameoAmalthea)



Series: The Hunters [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, M/M, Multi, Naga, Vore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:38:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2337149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rdStarAlien/pseuds/3rdStarAlien, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CameoAmalthea/pseuds/ConsumingRomance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lands beyond the Great River were home to many dangerous creatures, and none were more feared than the man-eating  naga. Of these, the worst was the Tail-Mouth, a two-headed monster that devoured humans and naga alike. For those who called the jungle home it was a challenge to survive, to hunt and to avoid being hunted. For a human girl, banished for the crime of witchcraft, it was a death sentence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“You have been accused of the crime of witchcraft,” bellowed Lord Xemnas. The whole village had gathered for the trial. Xion stood in the center of the mob, all eyes on her as the elders decided her fate. “And are hereby judged guilty!”

“No!” Xion cried.

“Silence, abomination!" he barked, before continuing his proclamation. "You are unnatural, and were never meant to exist! As such you are not welcome among us. Because you are a monster you will be banished to the realm of monsters, I sentence you to exile in the Forbidden Jungle beyond the Great River. Should you be seen on this side of the river again you will be killed on sight! Gather what belongings you can carry, leave now and never to return!”

Xion paled at the sentence. The jungle was not a hospitable place. It was filled with dangerous creatures, including the naga, which was said to prefer to taste of human flesh above all things. Even worse, these lands were home to the Tail-Mouthed King Naga: half naga, half giant serpent, the Tail-Mouths devoured man and naga alike to but nothing could quench their insatiable hunger. How would she survive alone in a place full of monsters?

Of course, the answer was she wasn’t supposed to survive. She wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place. They wouldn’t kill her here, not as first resort, lest her spirit leave some lingering curse. No, they’d let the naga do their work for them. They were sending her to be eaten alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Roxas didn't think he was ready for this. He knew all nagalings had to leave the nest eventually, and at eighteen he hadn't been a child for a long time. Still, he was small for his age and the idea of setting out to face the world alone was frightening. He didn't feel grown up. He had to be: there was no choice. Time to live or starve.

The young naga slithered through the thick jungle, trying to sniff out something to eat, but he'd broken down and cried earlier and his sniffing still sounded more like sniffling and it was hard to catch the scent of anything. He wasn't ready to leave home, and he had no idea how he'd find where he belonged.

Roxas paused, certain he'd heard something. Then he saw it: just ahead the thick tall grass was rustling. Was it prey? Roxas dove in headfirst, and straight into something large, or rather someone large. He looked down to see he had tackled another naga. He stood up quickly, blushing from embarrassment.

The other naga didn't look happy about being tackled, but when the boy realized his mistake, he couldn't help laughing at how red the blond's face was. "You know, I think people normally say sorry in this kind of situation." Axel said as he stood up, brushing some dirt off himself.

"Sorry!" said Roxas quickly. "I didn't mean...uh...I'm new at this whole hunting thing?" He smiled weakly. Then held out his hand. "I'm Roxas." He hoped he hadn't ruined his chance to make a new friend.

"I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" he said as he shook the boy's hand, "So first solo hunt? Exciting. You're pretty strong for someone your size, seems like you'll do okay on your own. Though I'd prefer if you didn't try to hunt in my territory."

"This is your territory?" asked Roxas, "oh I'm sorry- uh-again-sorry again." Roxas rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know. I can leave, if you want. I mean, um thanks...for the compliment..." He blushed, "I really don't know much I guess, I didn't even know naga had territory. I've always just wandered around."

"Really? Thats kind of important to know. Could wind up on someone's… bad side, otherwise." Axel said, and for the first time he eyed the boy's tail, but couldn't see the end of it in the thick vegetation. Territories were a habit of king naga. Large appetites meant there was little room to allow others to take prey from your hunting grounds. Some tail-mouth could even be cannibalistic if they were vicious enough or starving.

But the 'lower' species often just settled wherever they pleased if they felt it was safe. There wasn't as much of a need for food when something like a deer could last you more than a month instead of a week or two. Though maybe he was just a runt, Roxas was pretty small, and it wasn't unheard of for one to be a bit neglected in favor of the others that had a better chance at surviving.

"I suppose I could let your little intrusion slide this time, since you didn't know any better." Axel said, as Lea, the serpent whose body started where his bottom half started, began to move his head towards Roxas now, searching for the strangers other head, if there was one.

"Thanks," said Roxas, he smiled, "I don't want to be on your bad side. You're the first new friend I've met."

Axel couldn't help smiling when Roxas did, "Friend?" Axel gave a small chuckle, "A little soon to be calling me a friend isn't it? We've only just met." He wasn't even sure they were the same species. The tail-head's tongue flicked out when it neared Roxas, before playfully nipping at the other's tail.

"Well, I guess, but I'd like us to be - ouch!" Roxas jerked away pulling his tail up, revealing a normal, snake like tail. "Something's down there!"

Axel's face fell when he saw the boy's tail. Well, he guessed he should have seen it coming. His own tail rose, its tongue flicking out again before looking to the other tail's owner as though it was confused.

Roxas's eyes widened, looking between the giant snake's head and Axel. "You're a...you're a t-t-tail-mouthed king naga?" They ate other nagas.

"So, guess we're not gonna be friends then?" asked Axel, as the tail head darted forward, wrapping around Roxas.

Roxas gasped, choking as the serpent squeezed the air from his lungs. "Please," he gasped. "Don't…"

Axel forced Lea to loosen enough for Roxas to breath as the snake-head started to lick at him, "Sorry, Lea got a little over excited." Although his tail had loosened enough for Roxas to breath, the grip remained firm enough to ensure Roxas wasn't going anywhere.

Roxas took a deep breath and sighed, panting. He looked at the snake's head, giggling as its tongue tickled him. Roxas pulled his arms free and reached out to pet Lea. He looked at Axel and smiled, maybe tail-mouthed weren't as bad as he'd heard. "If you're not going to eat me, I wouldn't mind being friends."

Axel was surprised when the small naga giggled at being licked after what had just happened. What a strange kid. Lea on the other hand, was apparently enjoying the attention he was getting from the small naga, nuzzling against the boy as he continued to lick him. "Hm. Maybe. Still thinking about it." Axel shrugged.

"Thinking about eating me or being friends?" asked Roxas, stilling playing with the giant snake, who actually seemed incredibly sweet. "You're not as scary as I thought you'd be, you know."

"Both. Wondering if having you as a friend might be better than a meal. Though you do taste amazing and I am pretty hungry."

"Taste?" asked Roxas, "How do you know?"

"He licks, I taste, and you my dear little one are delicious." He hadn't had a good sized meal in a while, Roxas was small for a naga, but still much bigger than a human or most animals. And the thought of that long smooth tail sliding down his throat… Axel couldn't help licking his lips. Lea didn't appear to be listening to him at the moment though. "So, what did you expect one of my kind to be like?" He asked as he tried to make the tail head stop playing and obey him.

"I thought you'd have killed me instantly," said Roxas, "but Lea's really friendly. So when he licks me, you taste it? Do you feel it when I pet him?"

Axel nodded, "I can feel, taste, and smell everything he does. It's pretty useful sometimes."

"But you aren't the same, he's got a mind of his own," said Roxas, scratching the snake behind his head where an ear might have been were he a dog.

"Somewhat." Axel shrugged, "He can do things without any kind of order from me, but we're still connected and for the most part, I'm in control of us. Though sometimes he won't listen to a damn thing I tell him."

"So you read each other's mind?" asked Roxas, "and he's not thinking about eating me as much as you are?" He hadn't missed the look Axel had given him or the licked lips. "I really don't want to be a meal."

"Nothing ever does. But hey, everything needs to eat, circle of life and all that." Axel shrugged.

"Guess I'm pretty much an ideal meal huh? Easy to catch, big enough to fill you up, but just the right size to fit in your belly." Roxas wasn't really sure what he could say to persuade Axel to spare him. "Guess I'm at your mercy. It's my first time away from home, it's pretty lonely, maybe you're a bit lonely too. If you kept me, neither of us would have to be alone. And since you're probably a better hunter than me, I bet you could find another meal." Axel had said he'd consider it, but Roxas had never heard of a king naga befriending another naga. He was Axel's natural prey.

"If you're trying to convince me not eat you, you're doing a pretty poor job." The tail-mouth was practically drooling in anticipation of his meal, "You're a little on the small side for a naga, but you'll fill my belly nicely. And I'm not one to give up a such a tasty and easy meal." Axel licked the boy's cheek, despite Lea's annoyance at his interrupting the petting. "And as nice as being 'friends' sounds, you'd probably try to run away as soon as I left you alone."

A single tear slid down Roxas's cheek. The Tail-Mouth was probably just toying with him. No matter what he did or said, there was no way the predator would let him live. "No- I wouldn't, not if we were friends," he said, "I'd...I don't want to be alone." Didn't Axel understand? If they were friends then he'd stay. Friends didn't hurt each other, why would he run?

"And you want to stay with me?" asked Axel. "Or would you say just about anything to get out of where you're headed?" Axel licked his lips.

Roxas's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going down that easy!" Roxas lashed out, wrapping his tail around Axel's human half and grabbing Lea's head, holding it closed as he unhinged his own jaws and swallowed the snake-tail's head.

Lea thrashed about in panic as he was swallowed, trying desperately to pull himself back out. Axel reacted fast enough to get one arm in position so Roxas couldn't try to suffocate him, at least not as fast as he would have been able to otherwise. Damn, the kid really was a lot stronger than he looked. Still, Axel was stronger, and managed to pull his other arm free, before slashing at Roxas, aiming for his face.

Roxas panicked and he tried to get Axel out of range. He swung his tail hard, slamming Axel into a near by tree. The king naga slumped, and Roxas uncoiled, shifting so that Lea's body wasn't wrapped around him. Roxas paused then, looking at unconscious king naga as his stomach let out a pained growl. If he coiled around Axel's arms and chest, he could hold him still and eat the Tail-Mouth.

And why shouldn't he? Axel would have eaten him. But... Roxas relaxed his throat muscles and spat out Lea. "Sorry about that, buddy," he said, "your other half would have made a meal of me if I hadn't." He reached out and gave the slightly damp snake a reassuring pat, before turning to leave.

Lea hissed at him, not happy with what the naga had done to him or his other half. He nipped at Roxas's tail again, not being playful when he did so this time.

Roxas hissed in pain and pulled his tail away. The tail head hissed again before moving away, coiling around Axel in a protective manner.

"Right, guess we're not friends either, huh?" he asked, maybe he should have just eaten them, but no...it didn't feel right eating another naga. Not for him anyway. He wasn't used to eating prey that could talk anyway or hunting for himself. Still he did need to eat. Better get far away from the tail-mouth's territory as soon as possible. Or at the very least he needed to put as much distance between him and Axel as he could, and hope the king naga wouldn't come seeking revenge.


End file.
